Ebelia Hernandez

The Influence of Ethnic Identity on Self-Authorship: A Longitudinal Study of Latino/a College Students.

This longitudinal study of Latino/a college students considers the influence of Latino/a college student experiences and ethnic identity on holistic development. Findings indicate that although similar characteristics are seen among Latino/a students, the role of recognizing and making meaning of racism is a significant developmental task. This is consistent with other ethnic and racial identity theories, yet this model considers all three dimensions of holistic development: cognitive, identity (intrapersonal), and interpersonal.

Influence of an Identified Advisor/Mentor on Urban Latino Students' College Experience

This study considers the scales previously used by Nora, Kraemer, and Itzen (1997) and Torres (2006) as contributing to the retention of Latino/a college students. T-tests were used to compare the scale means between students with an identified advisor or mentor and those that have not identified one. The data is from Latino college students at three urban universities who were surveyed each spring for 3 years. Using longitudinal data, the results indicate that students with an advisor/mentor consistently have higher levels of institutional commitment, satisfaction with faculty, academic integration, cultural affinity, and encouragement.

The Connections Between Latino Ethnic Identity and Adult Experiences

This study considers the influence of adult experiences on the development of Latino ethnic identity. Using purposeful and snowball sampling, adult participants responded to open-ended questions about their understanding of being Latino. Analysis indicated that changes in the environment or life circumstances had the greatest effect on the reevaluation of identity. This process, referred to as looping, occurred in 35% of the adults surveyed and illustrates the process that occurs when an individual questions previous understanding of identity yet does not lose his/her previous sense of committed self. In addition, the study found that adults who self-identify as having a bicultural orientation were more likely to experience a looping effect, though some Latino-oriented individuals also experienced this effect.

Examining the Cultural Validity of a College Student Engagement Survey for Latinos

Using critical race theory and quantitative criticalist stance, this study examines the construct validity of an engagement survey, Student Experiences in the Research University (SERU) for Latino college students through exploratory factor analysis. Results support the principal seven-factor SERU model. However subfactors exhibited differential structure patterns suggesting sense of agency, initiative-taking, self-competency, and self-efficacy as a means of reflecting potential cultural nuances relative to Latinos. Implications highlight sociocultural values and perspectives to understand engagement based on Latino students’ unique college experiences and meaning making.

Utilizing Critical Race Theory to Examine Race/Ethnicity, Racism, and Power in Student Development Theory and Research

Recognition of social forces (racism, privilege, power) to the extent that is required by critical race theory (CRT) results in a paradigm shift in the way that we theorize and research student development, specifically self-authorship. This paradigm shift moves the center of analysis from individual, to the individual in relation to her political, racialized, environment, which then provides a new vantage point to capture additional developmental processes. In this article, each dimension of self-authorship is reconsidered with revised questions that seek to examine the ways that race/ethnicity, racism, and power influence the self-authoring process.

The journey towards developing political consciousness through activism for Mexican American women

This study examined how Mexican American women made meaning of their undergraduate activism and its potential implications on their development toward self-authorship. The developing political consciousness model emerged from their interviews to demonstrate the process of developing increasingly complex social knowledge, the shift of motivation to engage in activism from being a peer expectation to an internalized life calling, and an increasingly complex understanding of political tactics and ability to collaborate with members and other organizations for the goal of achieving political change.

Sustaining Opportunity in Rural Community Colleges

This assessment considers the sustainability of initiatives begun as a result of participation in the Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI). Case studies were conducted at eight community colleges, and quantitative data was gathered from the U.S. Census, the Department of Labor, and the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Elements that helped the colleges sustain initiatives beyond the funding cycle are discussed.

Balancing Dreams and Realities: The College Choice Process for High-Achieving Latinas

This study’s narratives of 17 high-achieving Latinas revealed how their college choice was a constant balancing of individual and family expectations, being “close, but far enough away,” and “getting your money’s worth.” With the use of critical race theory, further analysis revealed the influence of familismo on the college choice process as well as a financial ceiling that kept the most elite institutions out of reach.

The Unchosen Me—Race, Gender, and Identity Among Black Women in College (review)

chapter 13, by Enloe, provides the reader with an example of a learning environment—a charter high school—where civic engagement is infused throughout the students’ experience, not only in what they are learning, but also in how their learning environment is constructed through the students’ own collective action. While a majority of this book is written about service-learning in U.S. institutions of higher education settings, chapters 9 and 13 address service-learning in higher education settings in Europe and a civically engaged U.S. charter high school, respectively. Although these chapters are interesting, they seem out of place in this volume. Strait provides a thoughtful discussion for including these chapters in chapter 1, however, such connections to the broader focus of the book were not made clear within the chapters themselves, and may not be as relevant to the intended audience. Student-affairs practitioners should be aware that most chapters specifically refer to service-learning within the classroom context. Jacoby’s chapter provides some discussion about student affairs’ role in service-learning, but most chapters refer to service-learning as rooted in the academic experiences of students, managed by faculty and academically-housed service-learning administrators. This is not to say that those within student affairs interested in service-learning would not benefit from reading this edited volume, as it helps to provoke many important discussions about the purpose, goals, and consequences of service-learning, but the volume’s intended audience is primarily within academic affairs. In sum, this well-constructed volume will be of particular interest to higher education faculty engaged in service-learning in practice or as an area of research, service-learning coordinators, and administrators considering the institutionalization of service-learning. ◆